THE STRONGEST IN THE FOREST
By Jayde Holmes
Part 2: First Contact, Once Again
< Part 1 ……………………………………………….. Part 3 >
The stone didn’t work.
Shepherd went flying the next day and reported that the monsters were still marching towards the Disputed Valley. When she complained to her Mentor, he sent her a disinterested feeling of mild inconvenience, along with reasoning that perhaps the monsters had lost the ability to understand the markings on the stone. Then he invited her to play with him by the river filter.
She didn’t want to play by the river filter. She wanted to flood his roots with anger, blame him for the precious time she had wasted, then reach out to Former and work out how they could fight two ineffable enemies on opposite fronts. But he was her Mentor, and his whimsical requests had always struck her as irresistible demands. Besides, a break from her far-thinker friend updating her on how angry the Highest of the Forest to the East was about the injured sky-dominator seemed enjoyable.
Mentor was the oldest person along the southern border and had a collection of memories spanning back to before Strongest’s Forest had been conceived. He was regarded by everyone as the Wisest, even if no-one – including Strongest – understood a lot of his ideas.
She cast her thoughts out and clambered towards the river filter. The filter was such a significant structure that she always had some awareness of where it was, and the armored-fanged-grabbers that congregated around it were unique enough that their minds stood out like bright lures in dark oceans.
She possessed a grabber. She’d never been good at these creatures. Somehow, four tentacles were more work than six limbs, and moving eyestalks to control her vision was weird.
She grabbed onto what she thought was a rock. Too late, she realized it was the shell of another grabber. The wild creature turned on her, flaring out its tentacles and eyestalks and rearing back, so that the beak on its bottom was clacking within biting distance of an eyestalk. When Strongest failed to cower to the offended grabber’s standards, the aggressor opened its beak wider and lashed out with its tentacle hooks. Strongest thought of one of Shepherd’s favorite meditations, which allowed her to zone out enough for the grabber’s instincts to kick in. Guided by the ghost instincts, she curled the grabber’s body back into the bottom of the shell, becoming merely a large boulder on the riverbed.
Strongest waited as a few irritated bangs rang through the grabber’s shell.
After a minute of quiet, Strongest risked coming out, and saw that the angry grabber had calmed down and was now digging through the riverbed for prey. Strongest took her opportunity to escape. She crawled amongst the logs and rocks – both actual rocks and other grabbers – until she worked her way to one of the concrete tunnels that connected her Forest. She climbed on top of the tunnel and with the grabber’s keen eyes saw the cracks and rot that had set in since the last maintenance job. She stood up on her creature’s tentacles, scanning the riverbank for any sign of Mentor.
Three small, occupied host-trees grew close together on one side of the river. Their occupants had braided colored ropes between their branches, with dozens of ends trailing almost to the water. Strongest wasn’t into group art, but the ropes were pretty. On the opposite bank, another line of host-trees had built wooden platforms through their branches that hung over the river. A biped sat on the platform holding a simple fishing rod. Whoever possessed it was gazing so intently at the lure they didn’t notice Strongest’s grabber.
She noticed movement from the top of the river filter. She lifted the grabber’s eyestalks and took in the ageless tower that loomed over the river. This building was older than Strongest’s Forest. According to Mentor, it had been standing for thousands upon thousands of years and still the machinery inside continued to block micro-organisms from flowing into the Disputed Valley. The actual filter mechanism was housed in a squat, square building, covered in the remaining globs of cement that hadn’t yet rotted away to show the incorruptible metal skeleton beneath. Two towers had once stood on diagonally opposite corners, but forty years ago Strongest and Former had bought down the southern tower, exposing an incorruptible metal skeleton that they had been able to dig up and remove, but not destroy. None of the Forest’s best thinkers had ever been able to understand why some metal seemed immortal. Judging by the way the Keepers sought out and horded the stuff, she doubted they knew either. Due to their lack of scientific progress, Mentor had convinced Strongest and Former to leave the other tower standing.
Mentor was on top of that remaining tower now. He was possessing an armored-fanged-grabber and waving its tentacles over the bone-like railing. She reached out to him through the roots.
(I’m here) She told. (Are you on top of the tower?)
(Yes) Mentor told. (I am meditating. Come climb up. You should see the view yourself. Observe the machinery of the filter on your way.)
Mentor’s visualization of the filter machinery was part of the message, and Strongest herself was familiar with the entire construction. Still, she paused by the grate of incorruptible metal when she reached the tower. She swiveled the grabber’s eyestalks towards the mysterious blocks and perpetual gears and then turned them to watch the pipes to either side of the grate spew out a slurry of black plants and gunk for the grabbers to fight over.
Using a grabber to climb walls was not as unreasonable as Strongest had first feared. Two wild grabbers had climbed onto the pipes to get at the slurry pipe. She examined the wall and noticed plenty of crumbling holes in the concrete and support beams that could serve as tentacle-holds. She started her climb and found that the grabber had no instinctual hatred of heights. Its tentacle claws were as good for climbing as they were for digging or fighting.
Once at the top, Mentor encouraged her to use the grabber’s vision to survey the entire landscape. From up here, the divide between her Black Forest and the empty Green World was abrupt and unnatural. She showed Mentor the view from her grabber’s eyes. In return, he focused on the view from his grabber’s eyes. It was nearly identical, but he focused heavily on the stone and metal ruins that littered the Disputed Valley.
(There is incorruptible metal all over that valley) He told. (And other wonders that we can barely understand. Do you know why my parents chose for me to grow so close to the edge?)
(Same reason mine did I assume) Strongest told. (To grow the Forest.)
(That wasn’t all that interested my parents) Mentor told. (They were interested in the faded third-hand memories and fantasies of the massive Predecessor Forest that once lived here. That Forest lived within the Disputed Valley.)
(It’s a shame it was so long ago) Strongest told. (The memories I’ve gathered from then are contradictory, and full of fantasy.)
(Do you know what the biggest question scholars of the Predecessor ask?)
(How the Forest crossed the line?)
(No. It’s why all the ancient strange powerful objects are built for bipeds. Look at these grabber tentacles; they are highly dexterous, even with these massive blades, and the people who grow here use them for crafts and buildings all the time. Yet, we’ve never found ancient items with grabber handles. Everything from this fantastical time was made for bipeds.)
(That is rather interesting) Strongest admitted. (I sense you have an answer already.)
(I do. But the previous Highest didn’t like it. No-one liked it. The friend who first suggested it to me was scorned. Even as a respected, influential elder, it is hard for me to share this idea with others. Even with you.)
Mentor’s concept for ‘this idea’ consisted of a feeling of frustration at holding back his thoughts, combined with a fear that he was unable to distinguish between fantasy and fact. It scared Strongest that no trace of the theory itself seeped into this concept.
(I have a feeling I won’t like it either) Strongest told.
(You won’t.)
(Please tell me anyway. I won’t lose my respect for you.)
He sent gratitude and relief before retreating for a few seconds. She saw his grabber look over the Disputed Valley again and found herself staring at one of the metal skeletons. She had seen those structures her whole life. She had taken them for granted.
(I told my idea to the current Highest) Mentor told. (She retreated into herself not long after that. I do not think my idea is solely responsible, but it may have been her tipping point.)
Strongest contained her hurt. Her and Former were both close to Highest, and she didn’t want to accidentally lure him into this conversation.
(I won’t hide from it) Strongest told. (Please reveal the idea.)
(The Predecessor Forest was home to both regular people and your invaders) Mentor told.
Strongest started to protest, but his assertion was accompanied by an absurd mental image of paved walkways for the monsters lined with concrete beds of black forest plants. Occupied host-trees and their structures growing in carefully tended gardens amongst buildings full of monsters. Mentor’s certainty made her pause, as did a faint sense of familiarity. The structures he imagined overlayed the ruins she was looking over.
(I have spent centauries studying the ruins and am sure of my conclusion) Mentor told. (The previous Highest was horrified with my findings and forbade me from publicly thinking about them. With how hard it was for myself and others to think of animals as people, I agreed. Now though, I don’t think it can be ignored.)
(This is a big claim) Strongest told.
(Would you like me to run through my evidence?) Mentor asked. (I can only share memories now, but I can take you to my primary sources later.)
(I trust your conclusions) Strongest told. She did trust him, but how could the toxic Green World have walked beneath the shade of her ancestors? How could a creature with one isolated brain rival her people for intelligence? Did these animal-people even have telepathy?
She remembered the great tower from yesterday. Of course, she’d known the invaders were intelligent; it was why Mentor’s plan to communicate seemed plausible. But actually accepting such information was different.
(Show me more) Strongest told.
Mentor showed her decayed, fantasy-patched memories from the Predecessor Forest that he had collected over the centuries. He shared visualizations of the artifacts he and his peers had discovered; including biped skeletons with strange teeth that lacked telepathy protrusions at the back of the skull. He told her about strange grottos filled with soil friendly to Green life, hidden in ancient trenches, and similar cultivated plots of black soil in the Green World. He recalled experiments he had done on the ancient items, and stories whispered on the winds by far away people who had contacted these animal-people.
As Mentor shared his evidence, Strongest found it impossible to disagree. The animal-people had lived here before. The monsters had once walked beneath the shade of host-trees.
Yet now they attacked the sky-dominators. Had refused to heed her demands. Mentor’s memories were powerful, but how much of them was fantasy? Could she afford to be influenced by Mentor’s idea of life thousands of years ago in the face of unknown invaders?
Could she afford not to, in the face of stalemate with the Forests around her? Former was crazy with rage, but maybe he had been correct to suggest animal-person thinking could be used against the Keepers.
(I do not know if I am worthy of being Strongest) she told Mentor. (Maybe Former would be better at guiding us through these crises.)
(Former is incapable of seeing the worth of anything in the Green World) Mentor reminded her. (He has been completely dismissive of the approaching animal-people right up until you showed him a weapon. He will not be able to understand them. He doesn’t have the same understanding of the Green World you do, nor my influence.)
(Maybe we can’t survive this contact then) Strongest told. (I know I can’t see a solution.)
(No-one could possibly see a solution to a scenario like this. Real life isn’t a game of strategy trees, My Ward. I trust you to find the right solution. How long until the animal-people arrive?)
(Ten days. Maybe more if the rain slows them down. I can’t even tell you that much.)
(That’s enough time for you to formulate a response. Whatever your plan, I will use my influence to support it.)
(What if it’s a bad plan?)
(I won’t lose my respect for you.)
He made the grabber roll over, stretching dry tentacles that had gone stiff with the focus of their conversation. Strongest followed suit and soon found herself focusing on features of the Disputed Valley that she had never noticed before.
She didn’t know if she could handle the upcoming first contact, but having Mentor’s confidence helped.
The rain was light today, but the fabric Mentor had covered her biped in was soaked. They were both possessing their pet bipeds, standing under a massive purple umbrella with gold beads dangling off the edges. They stood along the riverbank by the filter, right at the line where the green grass gave way to dirt and black ferns. Strongest gripped a long spear in her biped’s hands; clothed and armed, her biped looked like one of the invaders.
When the invaders stepped into the shade of the filter, she re-thought that idea. Her biped’s clothing looked nothing like theirs. Their fabrics were light and covered by sheets of woven reeds bound and draped over them to create effective raincoats. Strongest had always thought the idea of dressing animals absurd, even though she’d given in to wearing a matching purple robe with Mentor. She’d never thought about how practical clothes could be though.
The animal-people had come in sight of the filter after dawn and stopped once they saw Strongest and Mentor. It was now almost noon and they hadn’t come any closer. There were a hundred and eighty-nine in number and most had sat down on the green grass and kept quiet. Their hair came in shades of rusty brown and burning red, but their skin tones ranged from fine clear sand to burning copper. A group armed with swords and spears took turns forming a line between the pack and the bipeds.
Strongest didn’t want to show any weakness. She stood stone still all morning. She wished Mentor would appear just as immovable, but he was happy to occasionally sit down his elderly biped or wander to the edge of the umbrella’s cover. Whilst Strongest kept watch on the monsters, she was in constant contact with Former and his team of bladetail and runningclaw-possessors hiding in the trees.
Shepherd coordinated the airborne predators in the skies from a sky-dominator hiding in a treehouse. She knew the animal-people had seen the army of predators, but they did not run.
(We may have to make the first move) Mentor told her, not for the first time that morning.
(I refuse to take irrevocable action without more information) Strongest told him, again, not for the first time. (Why won’t they just do something? We need something to respond to.)
(Has it occurred to you that they think the same way?) Mentor told her.
(Of course) Strongest told. (I am the Strongest Strategist in this Forest. If they can think like us and have reached the same conclusion, then that makes it even more vital that we are not the ones to give in first. We cannot show any weakness.)
(You’re so afraid of failing that you’re going to make that poor biped feel stiff for a whole luna-cycle) Mentor told. (What if they make a mistake in their first move? We haven’t given them any information either.)
(They have what they need) Strongest told, reminding him of the ‘stay away’ instructions he had written and the hoard of angry animals surrounding them.
(You are the Strongest Strategist) Mentor told. (You don’t need to let fear stop you from making a bold move. You are more than capable of leading this encounter.)
Shepherd interrupted her thoughts, reminding her that some of his less experienced underlings would not be able to hold their sky-dominators for long. That reminded her of her own growing struggle to keep out the biped’s original consciousness. She scanned the monster camp for the huddle of creatures her wildlife expert had identified as possible alphas and made the biped glare. Whether or not she wanted to make the first move would soon be irrelevant. The animal-people’s minds and bodies were one, so they would not have to relinquish control of those bodies. They would need to sleep, but Strongest would lose her hold on the biped before the creatures all succumbed to tiredness. After so long playing the immovable sentinel, letting the monsters see her lose her hold on the biped – letting them see the true limit of her endurance – would be the worst possible outcome.
(Do you think your team can hold out until the middle of the day?) Strongest asked Shepherd, reminding him how close the sun was to its zenith.
(Yes) Shepherd told. (I will confirm though.)
She wasn’t sure if animal-people noticed the movements of the sun, but if they did, they would hopefully see noon as a pre-decided trigger for action. If they didn’t, then they would underestimate the endurance of the Forest.
(They can wait until then) Shepherd told.
(Good) Strongest told. (At noon I will initiate non-violent contact with the animal-people. Have your team ready to fly in at my order.)
At the same time, Strongest reached out to Mentor. (I want to initiate non-violent contact at noon. After observing them, do you recommend using the whistle or approaching the alphas?)
(I can tell you do not want to cross into the Green World) Mentor told.
(Do you agree with my reluctance?) Strongest told.
(Instructions understood and relayed) Shepherd told. (I’ll be ready for you. Stay safe.)
(I would recommend the whistle) Mentor told. (You’re right to not cross the line. We don’t want them thinking they can cross it too. Crossing over should only happen if we are prepared to act aggressively.)
(Thank you) Strongest told.
(You didn’t need my reassurance there) Mentor told. (You’d already made that argument.)
(It would have been remiss of me not to seek a second perspective.)
(My Strongest, you can do this.)
Mentor had always told her she could do great things, but this telling he imbed with memories of her sky-dominator deal and with the positive assessment everyone he had communicated with today had expressed on her actions. The force she had mustered, and the restraint she had shown. There was no fear in the Forest right now.
(Thank you, My Mentor) she told. (When I order it, you will blow the whistle, and I will make the sound that means ‘alpha come here’. If that does not bring the alpha close enough to negotiate, we will bring out the food. If that does not work, we shall reassess the situation.)
(Understood) Mentor told.
Strongest began repeating her orders to Former and the leaders of the different animal controller teams. By the time she had updated her army, the sun was almost in position. She spent about twenty more minutes quietly practicing the movements she would need to make with the biped’s mouth.
Just before the sundials in the area showed noon, there was a change amongst the animal-creatures. Strongest didn’t notice it, but the animal experts reported the alphas had dispersed, and more guards were taking up weapons.
(Now) Strongest told Mentor and Former. She repeated the command to her team leaders as Mentor began blowing the whistle. She wished that she had Mentor’s knack for carrying on many conversations at once. As she made sure her army was on stand-by, she made her biped shout “Alpha come here!”
The animal-people all looked towards her biped, save the young children and those in charge of them, who became more interested in seeking each other out and huddling together behind the guards.
The group of alphas stood around confused, and then laughed. Strongest was so shocked she paused in her shouting; they really were just like bipeds. The group walked up to the guards, chattered for a bit, and then two figures continued towards the bipeds.
(I think they might have given themselves the same deadline) Mentor told.
Strongest shared her disbelief, but it was a weak disbelief. The evidence suggested he was right, but the thought of such strange creatures thinking the same way was absurd.
She studied the two approaching figures. They walked like bipeds, and were shaped like bipeds, but they were both a dark golden color, and their decorated hair only grew from their scalps and faces. The one that walked ahead was shorter than the rest and wore and elaborate bamboo raincoat over its clothing. It had little hair on its face, despite most of the alphas having beards of elaborate knots and braids.
The Alpha spread its arms wide, showing twin knives held in each one. Before Strongest could ready the biped’s spear the alpha dropped the weapons and continued forward with empty arms outstretched. Her suspicions that this was a sign of no hostile intent were supported by the animal expert. Strongest tossed her own spear aside. She told the person controlling the biped stationed behind the filter to be ready to bring the weapon back if anything went wrong.
Alpha stopped before the edge of the green grass and began making words. The other one stopped behind it. This one was also shorter than average, with a bent posture and wrinkled face suggesting advanced age. Its hair, both on the head and chin, was lighter in color and thickness. It wore a cloak of fan-like leaves that covered it nearly completely. A few seconds after the alpha started speaking, the elder spoke as well.
(Interesting) Mentor told her. (I cannot understand the Alpha’s words, but I can understand the Elder’s. I think he may be repeating what the Alpha is saying in the words we used on the stone. Maybe only the Elder knows the words I sent them. I never considered that there could be different types of words. I’ll need to ask them if I’m right and explain that I’ll be translating for you.)
(Do that) Strongest told. (Why do you assume the Elder is male?)
Mentor began speaking to the animal-people, and the Elder responded, followed by the Alpha’s reply. Strongest realized that talking with the Alpha was going to be a long, frustrating process.
(He has more hair) Mentor told.
As the animal-people quietened down, some concern came into Mentor’s thoughts. He stopped his musings on animal-person biology and confessed to Strongest that translating would be harder than he anticipated.
(I was right, only the Elder knows the words I use) He explained. (He has to tell me what the Alpha says. He then has to tell the Alpha what I say.)
(But that would be in the strange words right?) Strongest asked. (Why would there be any confusion?)
(Because I can hear what he tells the Alpha, but I cannot tell if he is directing the words at the Alpha or at me. We also both seem to be missing words, so distinguishing between the two types of words is difficult. At times during that exchange, I couldn’t tell if Elder was talking to the Alpha in the other words, or if he was talking to me in the known words and I just couldn’t interpret them.)
(Get him to raise his hand when addressing you) Strongest told.
(Excellent suggestion.)
Once logistics and introductions had been handled – the Alpha identified herself with the sounds ‘Carica’ and the Elder with ‘Varink’, but Mentor and Strongest continued to think of them as ‘Alpha’ and ‘Elder’ – Strongest told Mentor to ask them why they were here.
The first answer the Alpha gave was simple. Just a few short words that Mentor understood and translated to Strongest with ease.
(The Alpha tells us that the pack must settle at the Northern-most part of the world to survive) he told, his mind full of a confused visualization of the animal-people dropping dead if they did not continue North.
(They’ve been stuck here all day and haven’t died) Strongest told.
(Maybe they can be stopped for a short while) Mentor suggested.
(Ask them what disease they have and how it will kill them) Strongest told. She then reached out to one of the healers in her team and asked what the possibility of a virus jumping from Green life to them was. Mentor’s biped spoke and the Healer instantly replied that such a thing had never happened in the memory of the Forest.
(A zero percent chance?) Strongest asked.
(I don’t like to class anything as a zero percent chance) the Healer admitted.
(Then speak to your contacts) Strongest told. (Find memories from other Forests if you can.) Once the Healer broke the connection, she informed Former of the virus, telling him that it was unlikely to jump, but she would find out for sure. As she updated her team, the animal-people became agitated.
(There isn’t a virus) Mentor told. (They seem upset that I implied they weren’t in perfect health. When they told me they would die, they meant…)
Mentor passed on the meaning of each individual word, but he was so confused that the cause of the animal-people’s impending death was a jumble of them dropping dead, other animal-people killing them, and the Alpha stabbing herself with the weapons.
“I. Must. Prove. Myself. To. My parents. Or else. I. As well as. These people. Are not. Deserving. Of our lives.” Were the words that came from the Alpha’s mouth. Or at the very least, these individual sounds and their corresponding definitions were what Strongest picked up alongside Mentor’s speculation on how the Alpha’s fitness could lead to the pack’s deaths. Which in turn, he had interpreted from the Elder’s words. Strongest was beginning to think that communication with animal people was too impractical to ever be a benefit.
(Do you think translating different types of words is like how the far-thinkers send their thoughts on the wind to people in other Forests?) Strongest asked Mentor.
(Possibly) He told her, showing her how her idea had cleared his mind and bought a sudden, welcome realization. (It would be helpful to ask a talented far-thinker for their input. Trying to clarify these people’s telling is taking up so much of my concentration.)
(I’ll show this conversation to a far-thinker) Strongest told. (Keep trying to get their motive explained.)
She hadn’t included a far-thinker in the team. Given that Green lifeforms had never demonstrated the ability to receive or transmit telepathy, there had seemed no need. She reached out to her Far Thinker friend.
(Any insight into how reliable their communication is?) Strongest asked, showing her the conversation so far.
(This is interesting) the Far-Thinker told. (I don’t know anything about animal vocal communication though.)
Strongest shared the conversation with the animal expert in her team, then urged the two of them to exchange ideas together. As she was instructing them, Mentor and the animal-people chattered away. They chattered for so long that the Healer got back to Strongest certain now that viruses could not jump between Green and Black lifeforms. Not long after that, Shepherd had to call in his reserve sky-dominator possessor to replace one of his team. The roar the beast made in its brief period of freedom frightened the animal-people.
(They’re trying to stall us out) Former told her.
(They don’t understand us enough to intentionally do that) Strongest told. (Communication is proving harder than we anticipated.)
(Intentional or not, we cannot keep waiting) Former told.
(Do you want your flying fire rocks or not?) Strongest told. (They are few and weary. We can afford to have a smaller force. Start rotating key animals.)
(Understood) Former told.
As Former arranged to rotate their force, Strongest felt Mentor’s mind come alive with the excitement of understanding.
(I think I know what they’ve been through now) He told her. (This pack lived across the river from a pack of a different cargo. They were subordinate to other leaders far away, who commanded many packs.)
(Cargo?) Strongest asked. (You have animal breeds and shipping rafts in one concept.)
(There was some confusion on that part, but Elder was adamant that the two ideas are the same regarding their species.)
(Strange) Strongest told.
(Agreed. The enemy pack is of a different cargo and they fight over ruins and strange powerful objects. They call these things “losttec”. Both packs surrender their best losttec to leaders that live far away. Both are punished if they do not find enough losttec. The Alpha and her brother realized that they could search for losttec more efficiently if they didn’t have to worry about defending themselves or their findings. They realized that the enemy would be in the same position and approached them with an alliance.)
(That is perfect logic) Strongest told. (She is a strong strategist herself.)
(I’m going to tell her you said that) Mentor told. (She seems to regret the decision.)
(Because the enemy realized that if her pack was peaceful, they would have an easier time attacking?)
Strongest asked. It was the only flaw she could see in Alpha’s strategy, but Strongest believed that she would still take that risk if she was in Alpha’s position. Even if the enemy pack wanted to betray them, they would aim to keep the benefits of the peace for a while at least. And peace could be revoked a lot easier than a conflict if needs changed.
(That didn’t happen) Mentor told as he made the biped speak again. (I think you’ll find it fascinating how the Alpha ensured compliance between herself and the enemy.)
(Do tell) Strongest told as the animal-people spoke.
(She is flattered by you calling her strong, but they seem confused that your biped didn’t speak. How much should I reveal about how we communicate?)
(Just that our ideas go directly from one mind to the other) Strongest told. (Don’t mention the root system.)
Mentor began explaining telepathy to the animal-people, while continuing to show Strongest the Alpha’s story.
(She became impregnated by the enemy leader, and her brother impregnated the enemy leader’s mate) Mentor told. (Alpha believed that with both packs having a beloved offspring with the enemy, they would both hesitate to attack.)
(The enemy wouldn’t want to hurt their own progeny) Strongest told. (That is such an animal idea. I wonder if the same concept could work with us? It is a very clever solution.)
(Indeed. The problem is that her superiors; her parents, were disgusted by the interbreeding.)
(I can understand that. We have an aversion to unplanned people along the borders for the same reason.)
(The parents and their fighters went to the two villages, hurt the enemy-turned-ally, and took all the losttec. They stripped Alpha and her brother of their position and drove them and the animal-people most loyal to them out of the settlement.)
(I see) Strongest told. (Why did she lead her pack here?)
(Before being exiled, her parents told her that she and the pack could return if they first went to the end of the world and retrieved the treasure.)
By ‘treasure’ Mentor meant a massive piece of losttec that could fly through the sky. No animal-people had seen such a piece in generations, but the memories they had passed on insisted it existed right at the edge of the world.
(How can they pass on memories without telepathy?) Strongest asked.
(Verbal and written communication apparently) Mentor told. (Alpha told us that she and her pack would rather kill themselves than return without the treasure. I hope I’ve never made you that afraid of disappointing me.)
Strongest felt his fear and sent him reassurance.
(Have you been told of anything like that in the North?) Strongest asked.
(Never) Mentor told. (I’m under the impression the Forests go on all the way North, until it gets too cold for host trees to grow. Beyond that, no memories, hypothesis or even fantasies have reached this far south.)
(Do we know if there are Green plants further North?)
(I don’t know. But I know that past the Keeper’s Forest there is a plateau inhabited by Ai-eys and full of losttec.)
(Shepherd has flown over there with a sky-dominator) Strongest told. Another act of antagonization she’d committed against the Keepers.
(Maybe that’s where they want to go) Mentor told.
(Do not tell them such a place exists) Strongest told. She visualized the unnatural line between green grass and black leaves on the ground and told Mentor to tell Alpha that she had reached the end of her world.
Mentor began speaking and urged Strongest to point at the division on the ground to emphasis the point. What followed was minutes of arguing as Alpha and Elder missed the point entirely and pointed to the trees behind them, insisting that there was quite obviously more world to the North.
(Tell her a demonstration is needed) Strongest told, showing Mentor the point she planned to make. (Warn her I am about to lick her hand.)
There was protest from all parties about this course of action, but Strongest stepped onto the green grass and reached for Alpha’s hand. After an initial recoil, the Alpha relented and allowed Strongest’s biped to hold her hand. There was a slight sting as the biped absorbed the sweat on Alpha’s palm, and the scrunching of Alpha’s face hinted that she found the biped’s touch equally uncomfortable. Strongest hesitated for a second, privately apologized to her pet, then licked Alpha’s hand.
It tasted like an acidic fungus covered in salt. She couldn’t prevent her biped from pulling back its lips and sticking out its tongue, or the disgusted hiss it made. She told a nearby healer to bring medicine to her biped later and told Mentor to invite Alpha to return the gesture. After some hesitation, Strongest felt Alpha’s tongue on the back of the biped’s hand like a whip of stinging seaplants. Within seconds, they parted from each other, Alpha crouched over, coughing and spitting, whilst Strongest examined the biped’s hand. The white palms were turning pink, and the greyer skin on the back of the hand was already discolored where Alpha had licked her.
A naked biped approached Strongest with a pitcher of water. She made the biped guzzle the water. As she went to rinse its hand, she saw Alpha eyeing the pitcher.
(Warn her that she’ll find water from our side of the filter equally distasteful) She told Mentor. (But also advise that drinking water and washing her hands on her side will ease the reaction.)
Once Alpha and Strongest had eased their respective discomforts, Strongest told Mentor to explain the mutual toxicity of the two worlds.
(Make sure she understands that her kind will not survive past here) Strongest told. (Show her the desperate lost animals that we’ve found starved to death full of plants or meat from the opposite world. Show her how bad the rash can become, and the experiment that revealed that even boiling and filtering the water cannot keep sickness away forever.)
Mentor reminded her that he couldn’t just show them ideas with words as he began talking. Strongest found that she couldn’t make the biped stand completely still anymore. The irritation in its mouth and on the hand was too distracting. Shepherd sensed her discomfort and reached out, asking if he needed to attack. She replayed the memory of the hand licking incident and was warmed by his amusement.
With no warning save a vague frustration from Mentor, the Alpha dropped to her knees and screamed. She pulled at her hair and beat her fist against her chest. She spoke to the other animal-people around her, and similar displays of anguish broke out.
(Now they understand) Mentor told. (But I don’t understand this reaction.)
(I hear screams) Former told. (Do we need to attack?)
(I don’t think so) Strongest told. (I think, that the animal-people are overwhelmed with hopelessness.)
(Can we domesticate them?) Former told. (Are they in a state where they could be made to share their innovations with us?)
Strongest began sending him her agreement, but as she watched Alpha it turned to doubt. The beast had frozen on the ground midway between beating her chest. Her eyes were fixed on the trees behind their bipeds, and her mouth set in a tight, immovable line. Strongest kept watching as Alpha stood up and screamed. She pointed at Strongest and began talking. Her words were screams. Elder stood up and stared at her with his mouth hanging open. After a shout from the Alpha was directed his way, Elder too began speaking. His words were whimpers and his whole body shook. As he spoke, Mentor leaked dread through the roots.
(Alpha tells us she cannot accept this defeat) He told her. (Her people must go north. If our world will kill them, they will destroy us as they travel.)
She reached out to Former and Shepherd. Roars and screams shook the trees, with unpossessed flying reptiles fleeing the area. The animal-people readied their spears as rustling from the undergrowth revealed the bladetails and runningclaws ready to pounce.
Strongest felt rage burning through the roots. She could destroy these beasts in seconds. She wanted to destroy them. Nothing was going to ravage her Forest. She had the entire Forest united in a savage desire to kill this new threat.
Her entire Forest, minus forty-three missing people.
Forty-Three missing people who she’d never even known she could lose, because she just couldn’t imagine how the Keeper Forest thought. If she couldn’t find a way to deal with the Keepers, she’d have to give in to their demands.
She sent the order to hold position to Former and Shepherd. At the same time, she held her hand up and screamed at the animal-people.
(You want us to stop mid-charge?) Former told as the bests on the frontline rushed into the clearing and growled at the animal-people. (What are you doing?)
(I am getting you those rocks) she told. (I am gambling that these alien minds hold the secret to stopping the Keepers. Hold position and rally reinforcements.)
(My Strongest, what is happening?) Shepherd asked.
(They’ve threatened us) Strongest told. (But I am not giving up that easily. Circle above us. Don’t come into range of their bows.)
The rain was easing up now, but the Forest was still drenched. Fire wasn’t an immediate threat. Still, she was terrified that the animal-people would use it eventually, but she knew she had no way to retaliate against the Keepers. Not unless she introduced an unpredictable new factor in the mix. She sent out reassurance.
(Tell Alpha,) Strongest told Mentor, (that if she presses forward every member of her pack will be killed.)
(She says that they would rather die striving for survival than give up and return to her parents and die.)
(I can almost emphasize with that) Strongest told. (Tell her that I am prepared to allow her people to live in the Disputed Valley in return for service. They can settle at the end of their world and gather losttec. Maybe they’ll find something worth taking back. Or maybe they can stay here and work for our Forest.)
(How do you know they’ll stay loyal?) Mentor asked.
(Because their chance of success finding the treasure in the North is small, and the possibility of us slaughtering them is large) Strongest told. (The question is whether Alpha understands that.)
Mentor made his biped talk, and Alpha responded. Mentor’s confusion spread to Strongest, and he and the animal-people were stuck for a long time trying to make Alpha’s reply understandable. It took so long, that the tension seeped out of the valley. The controlled animals of the Forest lowered their stance and backed away, eyeing the animal-people. The animal-people likewise backed down but kept their weapons in hand.
Strongest found herself glad for the delay. It gave her time to think. Gave her another chance to imagine how the Forest looked to Alpha. She hoped Alpha was also able to use her mind during the deadlock.
(They say they will never be subservient to our cargo) Mentor told her. (They would rather die than accept your terms.)
(Why are these people so illogical?) Strongest asked. (You’d think instinct would drive them to stay alive.)
(Some animals have been known to give up if their bodies are too damaged) Mentor told. (We cannot imagine how those instincts would manifest in an intelligent person. Are you going to start the attack?)
(Not yet) Strongest told. (If they cannot be persuaded by self-preservation, maybe they will be swayed by morality. Alpha did try to be a peacemaker after all. Tell her that the bodies she sees before her are not our true bodies. Explain that our minds reside in trees.)
(Are you sure that is safe?)
(No. But whether I tell them and they seek to hurt us, or I don’t tell them, there will be a fight. This is the only option that has a chance of not ending in violence. We may as well see how they react to the idea that we cannot move out of their way. Make sure they understand that if they continue north, they will kill some of us.)
(Can you imagine how hard that will be to communicate?) Mentor complained. (Their minds and bodies are one. There may not be words for what we are.)
(You don’t think it shouldn’t be told? Only that it will be hard?)
(I trust your judgement, My Strongest. I’ll find the right words.)
As Mentor spoke, Strongest was flooded with Former’s impatience.
(Are we going to attack or not?) He asked.
(I thought you wanted their alien ideas) Strongest told.
(I thought you were terrified of them) he told.
(It seems we have influenced each other on this issue) Strongest told. (I am still cautious; I have given them one last chance. How they respond to my latest thought will determine if we let them live or not. Mentor is having difficulty conveying the idea to them, so your team can relax their animals momentarily.)
(You are influenced too easily) Former told. (Your mind changes too quick. You are not confident enough to have responsibility for the security of the Forest.)
She couldn’t help letting out shame. Of course, Former would see through her. Mentor responded to her feelings, showing her how much he trusted her. Assuring her that the change in the animal-people’s expressions was because they understood the implications of what Strongest had decided to tell them. She was getting through to these strange creatures.
(I think that right now, I am doing what is best for this Forest) She told Former, hitting him with the confidence she had in these negotiations. Confidence boosted by Mentor’s trust, and the chaos that had erupted amongst the animal-people.
(It seems that they already had a concept of our kind) Mentor told her. (They have a word for us. It is pronounced, ‘Dryad’.)
(That sounds unnecessarily complicated) Strongest told. (Let’s try something simple, like“Drid”.)
(I’ll suggest that later) Mentor told.
Out of the silence, Alpha resumed speaking. There were tears running down her face.
(Alpha is willing to stop her migration and settle in the Disputed Valley) Mentor told. <But only if they can search the Forest for losttec and a safe route north. They also wish to return to their homeland with their treasure if it is ever found.)
(Make the sky-dominators roar) Strongest told Shepherd. She then told Former to order his team to get closer and be ready for battle.
(Does their answer mean they die?) Former told.
(Not yet) Strongest told, showing Former what Alpha wanted. (It just means that they are stupid.)
(Maybe this pack are not capable of creating the wonders you saw) He told.
(Maybe) Strongest admitted. As the animals around them became more aggressive, the animal-people huddled together and grew louder. The warriors were shouting at Alpha. One elder ran past them and threw himself onto the ground; his hands reached across the line into the Forest.
(Tell them that the next animal-person to cross that line will die) Strongest told Mentor as she kicked the elder’s hands away. (Remind them that my offer is for them to live in the Disputed Valley on the condition they obey and aid us. They will not step into our shade. They will not cross that line. If that offer isn’t good enough for them, their choices are leave or die.)
As Mentor spoke one of the animal-person guards dragged the one who had crossed the line back. They fell silent, all eyes on Alpha. The clearing went silent as she spoke.
(She says that is not acceptable) Mentor told (Her people would be better off dead than subservient.)
Alpha didn’t stop speaking. As Strongest’s frustration grew, Mentor had to ask her to explain herself. He was puzzled by the message she had him repeat.
(She is challenging you to a fight) He told. (You and her will fight to the death. If she dies, her followers are free to leave or serve us as they please, but they will never enter the Forest or take our losttec. If you die, they will settle here and venture into the Forest for losttec.)
(How is that supposed to work?) Strongest told. (How would either one of us have any say in what anyone else does if we die? Why would the losing side abide by such conditions?)
(That’s what I asked her, and she seemed confused that we would consider not being bound by such conditions. There is a concept at play here that I don’t understand. I think it is like trust, except it extends to others whose minds are not connected and whose intents are unknowable.)
(I suppose that would be everyone to them) Strongest told. (With no telepathy, they cannot have normal, healthy trust with anyone. Every single one of them must be in the same situation I am in when I interact with other Forests. I never thought about that. They’d need a super-trust.)
(Elder explains that in most circumstances, following through with the unpleasant aspects of such an agreement is better than living in a world where you cannot super-trust anyone else.)
(Fascinating. How would this duel work?)
(You cannot seriously be considering fighting her to the death?)
(Ask her how she defines death.)
There was more confused speech between Mentor and the animal-people. Then an argument between Alpha and Elder.
(Alpha says they will define death as the death of the body) Mentor told (She seems to think finding your tree and killing you there defeats the purpose of a duel. I don’t think the other animal-people find this fair.)
(I have nothing to lose but my animal) Strongest told. She realized that she had made her biped hug itself. She was quite attached to her pet. The thought of putting it in such a situation caused the synapse buds on her tree to curl. (How would the duel work?)
(As the challenged, you would pick the time, place, and weapons) Mentor told. (You cannot seriously think to do this?)
Strongest was already looking around and found herself staring at a sky-dominator on top of the filter. It was the one Shepherd had flown in during their expedition. A bandage had been tied around the injured wing.
(Shepherd, how much does the Forest to the East know about that sky-dominator’s injuries?) Strongest asked.
(Are you planning to put it at risk again?) Shepherd asked.
Strongest showed him the duel Alpha wanted, and her plan to win it. Seeing what she wanted the sky-dominator to do made Shepherd as uncomfortable as she was at the thought of her biped getting hurt. In the end though, he agreed that there was minimal risk and he would prepare the animal for her.
(Tell Alpha we will duel tomorrow, at sunrise) Strongest told Mentor. (We may each bring our favorite weapons. The fight will take place on top of the filter tower. Since she is unable to end my life, I will refuse to end hers if I otherwise incapacitate her or throw her from the tower. Any of her kind that enter the Forest before the duel will be killed.)
Alpha had some protests about Strongest’s mercy. Something about causing shame. It was as if she wanted to die. Strongest insisted that her terms were fair and final, and that if Alpha wanted to kill herself she was welcome to. Once Alpha gave up arguing, Strongest asked if there was anything else they needed to discuss. Once Mentor confirmed that they had said everything needed, Strongest picked up the umbrella and walked deeper into the Forest. Mentor followed, and they both ignored the cries of the animal-people as they disappeared into the undergrowth.
(Shepherd, you can rest the sky dominators) Strongest told. (I’m sorry to ask you to put one at risk again.)
(If you think it is necessary, I’ll trust you) Shepherd told.
Once sure they were out of sight of the animal-people, Strongest made her biped drink from the river, hoping to wash away any lingering trace of Alpha’s hand. The biped’s tongue had been itchy for a while, and she felt guilty for subjecting her pet to such irritation. As she drank, she told Former to call back most of his team, but to keep watch and kill any who stepped into the Forest.
(I sense you have done something stupid) Former asked.
Once the biped was sated, Strongest and Mentor walked deeper into the Forest, heading towards their trees. As they walked, Strongest explained the duel to Former. He didn’t withhold his worry.
(You risk ruining the sky-dominator deal) he told her.
(Alpha will jump off the tower when I show up in a sky-dominator. Maybe if she has enough sense she’ll climb down and live, but all animals flee from sky-dominators. Even her pack only had the sense to shoot at us due to their numbers and bows. Even if she doesn’t, she carried knives, not a bow. If she does not expect me to fly, she won’t change that. I can throw her off the tower before she can do much damage.)
(Is it worth the risk?)
They had arrived at Mentor’s tree, surrounded by his garden and a stone hut full of treasures.
Strongest helped put away the umbrella and undress the bipeds. Mentor told her how tired he and his biped were, and she commiserated with him. Most of her attention however was on Former.
(I want to know how their trust works) She told him.
(You sound like the Keepers) Former told.
(Good. Because they are beating us.)
He let her know he would contemplate what she said and follow her orders. He severed their connection for a second, then reached out to her again.
(Just to make things clear) Former told. (If this doesn’t work, you will not be the Strongest anymore. I’ll be telling Highest about my doubts.)
(Good luck getting a discussion going with her) Strongest told.
Mentor signaled his desire for Strongest’s full attention.
(What’s wrong, My Mentor?) Strongest asked.
(Nothing is wrong) Mentor told. He released his naked biped, and despite it being the middle of the day the creature ambled over to the hut. (I just want to let you know how happy I am with that encounter. My desire to understand the Predecessor Forest may be fulfilled, all because of you.)
(My main concern was the prosperity of this Forest) Strongest told.
(I know) Mentor told. (And one day, we may be as prosperous as the Predecessor Forest. I am so grateful. I am so proud of the person you have become.)
She responded only by showing him the satisfaction his thoughts had given her. She doubted she could form informative ideas at that moment.
She felt some of her biped’s thoughts try to creep back into its mind. She switched her attention back to it and began walking back towards her tree. As she parted the fern leaves between her and Mentor’s grounds, she felt the rain return.
(I am going to fantasize about the Forest we will build) Mentor told her. (Would you like to join me?)
(Thank you, but I need to be alone for a while) Strongest told, releasing her biped and watching through the light sensitive organisms on her tree as it stumbled through the undergrowth and towards her hut. (Show me what you imagine later.)
To Be Continued…
Jayde Holmes 